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TELLING UNHEARD STORIES
Haytoug Magazine
June 19 2012
Our community is filled with hundreds of talented young artists
pushing the boundaries of expression and creativity in various fields.
Haytoug recently had the chance to sit down with one such prominent
young artist: filmmaker, photographer, and writer Apo Avedissian.
Haytoug: Can you give us some background on how you got involved in
photography, videography and art in general?
Apo Avedissian: During the 2003 war in Iraq, I was a 13-year-old kid
in Baghdad with a camera, walking around taking pictures of arms and
legs detached from bodies. I found a subject to tell a story about:
the war. Photography wasn't my hobby, storytelling was. That's why
I've not only done photography, but also filmmaking, stenciling,
and writing. Art is my tool of choice. High school in the U.S. also
gave me a major push towards getting into the business aspect of art
itself. I was invited to Hoover High School's Art Academy during the
first two months of a photography class and was soon given two awards
that allowed me to buy a new, professional camera. It was my first
professional camera.
H: Is your foundation based on formal training from those classes or
did you develop your talent outside of the school setting?
A.A.: I do tend to be an egomaniac, so I will say everything is
based on myself. Although I am influenced by things around me, just
like anyone else, once I took those classes I really wasn't a fan of
being told how to make art. In math, when one person discovers a new
formula, they're praised as scientists, and they should be. In art,
however, there's that one fine line you need to follow. I don't like
that. Art is self expression to me, and the fact that a class exists
to teach you how to be creative is just a bit too much. The fact that
there are classes shows other people's opinions, however, so as long
as I'm not forced to join an art class, anyone is free into joining
one and experimenting with anything they'd like.
H: A lot of people know you for directing and producing music videos.
What is it about the intersection of music and video that you enjoy?
A.A.: Storytelling. I don't talk a lot in person. I tend to observe
and create art in my mind. Art is how I express myself. If I feel
a certain way about an event or anything around me, I will tell the
story through art.
H: What are some of the key projects you've worked on, and the
achievements you've had so far?
A.A.: My ability to reach out and have thousands of people being a
click away from viewing my work online is what I consider my main
major achievement. With the $100 cheap camera that I started with, I
built a 35,000 people fan base on MySpace when I first started. Now
I'm on Twitter, which was also a tool I used for a really cool
Armenian project.
I love being criticized. I live for the feedback. Feedback and
criticism are more important, to me, than medals and trophies.
H: For many people, finding motivation to be creative and
developing original concepts is not easy. Where do you find your
inspiration/influence?
A.A.: I wake up with it. Not in the same bed though [laughs]. All
jokes aside, I do have rituals and certain things I do and go through
daily to have a good artistic day. Another artist once said "you're
crazy," when they saw what I go through daily, to which I replied
"I'm making art every day. What are you doing?"
H: How do you think being Armenian and from a family that has survived
Genocide and war has affected your art?
A.A.: With what my grand-grandparents went through during the Armenian
Genocide, you can only think of the negatives. After going through
and surviving the Genocide itself, they settled in Baghdad, Iraq. Soon
enough that country was another bleeding place for everyone in it.
I left Iraq late 2004, about two years into the war. What I saw made
me who I am, so I can only use my imagination to try and see what my
grand-grandparents went through back around 1915. The first half of my
life was based on the Genocide stories, and the quarter that followed
it is based on the war I, myself, went through and survived, as well.
The Armenian Community in Iraq did a really good job teaching us our
culture, language, and everything they could keep alive from the past.
So good, in fact, that I still remember and know most of my elementary
school lessons about Armenians. Because of all of that, my work shows
more tears than smiles, I realize.
H: In addition to your work with the camera, you've become known
for your incisive blog entries and writings on Apotize.com. What are
your thoughts on the power of conveying ideas through mediums such
as writing as opposed to words or visuals?
A.A.: Writing and visuals are the tools I use to tell what I have in
mind. Whatever fits the topic, I will use. Sometimes a picture does
it all. At other times, that picture isn't clear enough, not as clear
as a blog. I like to influence people. I don't like forcing anyone
into doing anything. I want to influence, yet again, giving them the
full option of choosing what they do next. Just like a reminder, I'll
bring up some facts from both sides without forcing a decision. You
are reminded; you choose to snooze or wake up.
Writing is a very powerful tool to put out emotions and ideas. Last
year, on April 24th, I wrote a blog on Apotize.com asking everyone to
use Twitter to post or "tweet" a fact about the Armenian Genocide,
and add the hashtag #ArmenianGenocide in the tweet itself. By doing
that, we might be able to "trend" that phrase, which means millions of
visitors on the site, whether Armenian or not, could see the phrase as
'most used/ popular' for that day and time. Later that day, we had
"#ArmenianGenocide" and "Armenians" trending in Los Angeles. That
was a huge success on our end, and with the help of the readers we
were actually able to do something very productive, and answered many
"odars'" questions about the trend, which they had no idea about.
On that day, we taught thousands of people about the Armenian Genocide,
all with one simple idea that came to my mind, and through my writing,
got many great minds involved. This year, I intend to try it again,
hopefully trending the phrase #ArmenianGenocide worldwide, having
everyone logging in to Twitter see it, and once they click on it,
see the facts we're posting and our unheard stories.
H: What role do you think artists play in society, specifically for
the Armenian community in the Diaspora?
A.A.: Teachers. Artists show you things you haven't seen before or
have forgotten about. Artists put your attention on an important topic
to them, and you choose whether to understand it or not. Artists can
be teachers, inventors, and even historians, to be honest. When you
have a 100 year old art piece, that is good enough, you will look at
the picture and remember stories about that time.
H: What are some upcoming projects we can expect from you?
A.A.: I'm in the process of stenciling a 17×7 ft. wall for a music
video I will be featured in. I'm also working on a documentary titled
Yergat. The rest is your imagination.
I don't plan things, they just happen. I know about those two because
the documentary I've been working on for about five years now, and
the stencil I planned two days ago. I'll soon stencil and shoot the
video for it.
H: How do people get in touch with you regarding commissioning work?
A.A.: My personal website (www.apomontage. com) has my email, Twitter,
and Facebook links beside my work.
Haytoug Magazine
June 19 2012
Our community is filled with hundreds of talented young artists
pushing the boundaries of expression and creativity in various fields.
Haytoug recently had the chance to sit down with one such prominent
young artist: filmmaker, photographer, and writer Apo Avedissian.
Haytoug: Can you give us some background on how you got involved in
photography, videography and art in general?
Apo Avedissian: During the 2003 war in Iraq, I was a 13-year-old kid
in Baghdad with a camera, walking around taking pictures of arms and
legs detached from bodies. I found a subject to tell a story about:
the war. Photography wasn't my hobby, storytelling was. That's why
I've not only done photography, but also filmmaking, stenciling,
and writing. Art is my tool of choice. High school in the U.S. also
gave me a major push towards getting into the business aspect of art
itself. I was invited to Hoover High School's Art Academy during the
first two months of a photography class and was soon given two awards
that allowed me to buy a new, professional camera. It was my first
professional camera.
H: Is your foundation based on formal training from those classes or
did you develop your talent outside of the school setting?
A.A.: I do tend to be an egomaniac, so I will say everything is
based on myself. Although I am influenced by things around me, just
like anyone else, once I took those classes I really wasn't a fan of
being told how to make art. In math, when one person discovers a new
formula, they're praised as scientists, and they should be. In art,
however, there's that one fine line you need to follow. I don't like
that. Art is self expression to me, and the fact that a class exists
to teach you how to be creative is just a bit too much. The fact that
there are classes shows other people's opinions, however, so as long
as I'm not forced to join an art class, anyone is free into joining
one and experimenting with anything they'd like.
H: A lot of people know you for directing and producing music videos.
What is it about the intersection of music and video that you enjoy?
A.A.: Storytelling. I don't talk a lot in person. I tend to observe
and create art in my mind. Art is how I express myself. If I feel
a certain way about an event or anything around me, I will tell the
story through art.
H: What are some of the key projects you've worked on, and the
achievements you've had so far?
A.A.: My ability to reach out and have thousands of people being a
click away from viewing my work online is what I consider my main
major achievement. With the $100 cheap camera that I started with, I
built a 35,000 people fan base on MySpace when I first started. Now
I'm on Twitter, which was also a tool I used for a really cool
Armenian project.
I love being criticized. I live for the feedback. Feedback and
criticism are more important, to me, than medals and trophies.
H: For many people, finding motivation to be creative and
developing original concepts is not easy. Where do you find your
inspiration/influence?
A.A.: I wake up with it. Not in the same bed though [laughs]. All
jokes aside, I do have rituals and certain things I do and go through
daily to have a good artistic day. Another artist once said "you're
crazy," when they saw what I go through daily, to which I replied
"I'm making art every day. What are you doing?"
H: How do you think being Armenian and from a family that has survived
Genocide and war has affected your art?
A.A.: With what my grand-grandparents went through during the Armenian
Genocide, you can only think of the negatives. After going through
and surviving the Genocide itself, they settled in Baghdad, Iraq. Soon
enough that country was another bleeding place for everyone in it.
I left Iraq late 2004, about two years into the war. What I saw made
me who I am, so I can only use my imagination to try and see what my
grand-grandparents went through back around 1915. The first half of my
life was based on the Genocide stories, and the quarter that followed
it is based on the war I, myself, went through and survived, as well.
The Armenian Community in Iraq did a really good job teaching us our
culture, language, and everything they could keep alive from the past.
So good, in fact, that I still remember and know most of my elementary
school lessons about Armenians. Because of all of that, my work shows
more tears than smiles, I realize.
H: In addition to your work with the camera, you've become known
for your incisive blog entries and writings on Apotize.com. What are
your thoughts on the power of conveying ideas through mediums such
as writing as opposed to words or visuals?
A.A.: Writing and visuals are the tools I use to tell what I have in
mind. Whatever fits the topic, I will use. Sometimes a picture does
it all. At other times, that picture isn't clear enough, not as clear
as a blog. I like to influence people. I don't like forcing anyone
into doing anything. I want to influence, yet again, giving them the
full option of choosing what they do next. Just like a reminder, I'll
bring up some facts from both sides without forcing a decision. You
are reminded; you choose to snooze or wake up.
Writing is a very powerful tool to put out emotions and ideas. Last
year, on April 24th, I wrote a blog on Apotize.com asking everyone to
use Twitter to post or "tweet" a fact about the Armenian Genocide,
and add the hashtag #ArmenianGenocide in the tweet itself. By doing
that, we might be able to "trend" that phrase, which means millions of
visitors on the site, whether Armenian or not, could see the phrase as
'most used/ popular' for that day and time. Later that day, we had
"#ArmenianGenocide" and "Armenians" trending in Los Angeles. That
was a huge success on our end, and with the help of the readers we
were actually able to do something very productive, and answered many
"odars'" questions about the trend, which they had no idea about.
On that day, we taught thousands of people about the Armenian Genocide,
all with one simple idea that came to my mind, and through my writing,
got many great minds involved. This year, I intend to try it again,
hopefully trending the phrase #ArmenianGenocide worldwide, having
everyone logging in to Twitter see it, and once they click on it,
see the facts we're posting and our unheard stories.
H: What role do you think artists play in society, specifically for
the Armenian community in the Diaspora?
A.A.: Teachers. Artists show you things you haven't seen before or
have forgotten about. Artists put your attention on an important topic
to them, and you choose whether to understand it or not. Artists can
be teachers, inventors, and even historians, to be honest. When you
have a 100 year old art piece, that is good enough, you will look at
the picture and remember stories about that time.
H: What are some upcoming projects we can expect from you?
A.A.: I'm in the process of stenciling a 17×7 ft. wall for a music
video I will be featured in. I'm also working on a documentary titled
Yergat. The rest is your imagination.
I don't plan things, they just happen. I know about those two because
the documentary I've been working on for about five years now, and
the stencil I planned two days ago. I'll soon stencil and shoot the
video for it.
H: How do people get in touch with you regarding commissioning work?
A.A.: My personal website (www.apomontage. com) has my email, Twitter,
and Facebook links beside my work.